


Pure Imagination

by MoonFire1



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Canon What Canon, Gen, Steve Rogers is NOT stupid, Steve Rogers is not a villain, Tony Stark is not an innocent angel, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 06:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonFire1/pseuds/MoonFire1
Summary: “I thought I’d stop hallucinating once I stopped avoiding Rogers.”His double shook his head, a small smile crossing his face. “Not the point. You can’t run away from yourself.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Who wins an imaginary argument with yourself? ;)

“The next time you want to drag Steve Rogers’ name through the mud because you can’t be bothered to pull your head from your ass and realize the full breadth of _your_ responsibilities for _your_ actions, kindly do the world a favor and choke on your own tongue.”

The glass in Tony Stark’s hand dropped to the floor, shattering upon impact.

The man standing opposite him smiled sardonically, no humor in the gesture. Tony recognized the eyes, posture, face, mannerisms, and voice all too well.

“You know who I am,” his double said placidly. “Or at least you used to know that.”

Tony jerked awake. Leaning over the side of his bed, he heaved his guts into the trashcan.

“Never drinking tequila again,” he decided, wiping his mouth.

~             ~             ~             ~

“Leave it to you to take the easy way out.”

Tony dropped a wrench on his foot, the pain causing him to jump and curse. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and confirmed he was alone in his shop.

“Friday, don’t ever let Dummy make me shakes again.”

~             ~             ~             ~

“Still running?”

“Look, what’s going on here?”

Tony stared in the mirror. An identical face leaned over, the goateed chin appearing to rest directly on his right shoulder.

Tony felt nothing.

Tony saw everything.

Tony woke up sweating once again.

~             ~             ~             ~

“Fuck this shit.”

The burner phone Steve had sent was picked up from the back of the nightstand drawer where Tony had tossed it in a fit of temper.

Twelve rings before he was answered.

“Can we talk?”

A silence. “Depends. Will you actually _listen_?”

Shame churned in Tony’s gut. “Never been my strong suit.”

“Tell me about it.” Another pause. “For what it was worth, I honestly didn’t know he was the one sent to kill your parents. You had the same information I did.”

Unseen, Tony winced. True enough, he had combed through the dumped SHIELD/HYDRA files once Romanoff had released them to the public.

“Then why did you say---“

“---you damned well know why I did.”

Tony had never been a soldier. Steve hadn’t ever known anything beyond making extreme personal sacrifices for the ones that he loved. Directing Tony's fury toward himself had been the most immediate way he'd had to keep Tony from murdering Barnes.

He had almost murdered a man in cold blood. Yes, the renewed trauma of witnessing part of his parents' deaths played a part, but at the end of the day, Tony couldn't call it anything different.

He had almost become the very thing he hated, and it costed him more than he had realized he could lose.

“Right.” Another pause. “We’re really bad at this.”

A long sigh. Tony could feel Steve’s weariness as if it were seeping within his own bones. “I’m not sure what _this_ is supposed to be.”

Tony glanced over at a familiar blue and red shield – at _Steve’s_ shield. No one else was meant to wield it.

“I could sing ‘Something New’ but I’m guessing you haven’t tortured yourself with High School Musical yet.”

A small laugh, hardly more than a swift breath. “I understood that reference. Should I ask ‘what team?’”

Oh he didn’t. Tony couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized what a smart-assed little _shit_ Steve Rogers was.

“Avengers,” he answered impulsively. “We’re Avengers. Or at least we will be.”

~             ~             ~             ~

“Proud of you, Tony.”

Tony jumped again. “I thought I’d stop hallucinating once I stopped avoiding Rogers.”

His double shook his head, a small smile crossing his face. “Not the point. You can’t run away from yourself.”

Tony took stock of his life. Pepper wouldn’t return; his team was still fractured; Ross was fulfilling the worst parts of the Accords (and proving Steve’s fears more than correct); and he was sitting in the bathroom talking to an imaginary version of himself on a fairly regular basis.

All in all, things could be much worse.

“I guess we have work to do.”

//end//


End file.
